No description available.

As social workers we understand that service users are the most impacted stakeholders involved in service delivery models at various agencies. When it comes to the field of child welfare, there are added barriers and complications that impact a worker’s ability to develop relationships with service users. What do child welfare service users consider to be “good” social work practice, and what do they expect from their workers? This thesis will focus on the voices of those who have been most impacted by the system: those who are or have been in the care of a child welfare system. At McMaster University, a program is being initiated in partnership between the School of Social Work and various local Children’s Aid Societies in Hamilton and the surrounding areas, which will explore how child welfare service users can be incorporated into the education of social work students who plan to work in the field of child welfare. This thesis will explore what individuals who are or have been youth in the care of an Ontario Children’s Aid Society want to teach the students of this program before they become child welfare social workers. This expert feedback will then be incorporated into the curriculum of McMaster’s program, entitled: “Preparing for Critical Practice in Child Welfare” (PCPCW), which will be carried into practice by the students who graduate from the program to become child welfare social workers. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

Over the course of the second half of the twentieth century, undergraduate degree requirements in the Faculty of Arts (later the Faculty of Arts & Science) at the University of Toronto were comprehensively reviewed and revised seven times. The records of these reviews demonstrate that the curricular changes of the second half of the twentieth century were substantial, reflecting attempts by curricular planners to shape the undergraduate program of study to accommodate broader social, economic, demographic, and epistemological changes. These changes therefore reflect the connections between the University and its local, provincial, and international communities. These substantial changes, however, are balanced by consistent and recurrent patterns in curriculum across this period as curricular planners sought ways to implement sustained curricular goals into a changed institutional environment and a changed curricular framework. Collectively, these reviews demonstrate that the U of T maintained a distinct approach to undergraduate education from the beginning of this period through the end. This approach, referred to here as the “Toronto Scheme,” is characterized by the belief that specialized study can lead to liberal education, and that students should have access to multiple pathways through the degree. This analysis of degree requirements over time has important implications for understanding higher education at the University of Toronto, in Canada, and internationally. Most importantly, this research helps to explain both the strong similarities and significant differences between American curricular structures and those in place at the U of T. Additionally, this study of curriculum provides valuable insight into the role of the U of T’s colleges in undergraduate instruction, further illuminating the effect of this relatively unique institutional structure on the history of the U of T. On a broader scale, the relationship indicated by this history of the curriculum between the U of T and other institutions in Ontario and Canada deepens our understanding of the nature of a Canadian system of or approach to higher education (or lack thereof). As such, the Toronto Scheme informs – and sometimes challenges – many of the assumptions currently made about Ontario, Canadian, and North American higher education.

published_or_final_version / Language Studies / Master / Master of Arts

The competition for scare resources in higher education has increased the pressure on administrators and educators to evaluate educational programs, and to demonstrate quality outcomes. Accreditation has been suggested as a useful tool for looking at accountability, but little research has been conducted to explore this issue, particularly in program accreditation. Little evidence exists to support the assumption that program accreditation adds value to the educational environment. This study explored the perceptions of program directors and administrators regarding the impact of accreditation on the quality of Canadian dental hygiene diploma programs. A 63% response rate was received from the 54 individuals surveyed, representing an 85% institutional response rate from the 27 accredited programs. Of these respondents, 21 individuals also participated in a semi-structured interview. Descriptive and inferential statistics including t-tests and ANOVAs were calculated for the usefulness of accreditation, the importance of accreditation requirements, and the value of accreditation phases. Accreditation as a stimulus for improvement was rated as extremely useful by 41% and very useful by 41%. As a tool for self-evaluation it was rated as extremely useful by 24% and very useful by 56%. While all the standards were rated as important, the following received the highest ratings: Clinical Outcomes Review Evaluation {extremely important 38%, and very important 35%), curriculum {extremely important 44% and very important 44%), preparation for clinical practice {extremely important 40% and very important 47%), and faculty and faculty development (extremely important 38% and very important 50%). While the site-visit and the report were valued, the self-study phase received the highest ratings in promoting program quality (great value 41% and much value 41%). The accreditation process appears to be the most important factor in understanding the relationship between accreditation and program quality. The process provides the catalyst for transforming accreditation standards into quality elements within programs. While accreditation influences program quality, educational institutions mainly seek accreditation to facilitate licensure and portability of graduates. If the link between licensure and accreditation decreases, the support of the educational institutions may wane.

This dissertation is manuscript-based. It contains an introduction, a literature review, a conclusion along with the four research papers that constitute its core. The four substantive papers reexamine the sources of earnings differences by race and immigration status in Canada. I address two major methodological issues in the relevant literature: the measurement of experience and the modeling of the relations between the factors known to influence earnings. Data from Statistics Canada's Workplace and Employee Survey (WES) was analyzed. The first two papers examine biases in the estimates of wage disparities due to error in the measurement of experience. They do so using two conventional estimation techniques: ordinary least squares (OLS) with dummy variables, and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition. The third and fourth papers explore deficiencies in OLS-based modeling techniques. The third paper does so by separately analyzing the relationships between racial and immigrant group statuses and access to job-related training, and then the relationship between statuses and training, on one hand, and earnings on the other. The final paper uses structural equation modeling to further examine the relationship between group status and earnings, this time explicitly incorporating the mediating effects of job types, and job-related training. The papers reveal that inadequate measurement of work experience results in overestimates of the wage disadvantage of visible minority immigrants. Furthermore, some of the wage disadvantage of this group stems from limited access to job-related training.

English Studies began in Canada in 1884 at Dalhousie University; Canadian literature was first taught at the post-secondary level in 1907 at the Ontario Agricultural College in Guelph. Arnoldian humanism dominated the outlook of early professors of English in Canada. Their feeling that Canadian literature was not among "the best" explains why so few courses appeared in Canadian universities, despite nationalist pressure from students. About 5-10% of courses then were devoted to Canadian literature in the English curriculum and this (except in Quebec) remains the case today.

No description available.

Over the course of the second half of the twentieth century, undergraduate degree requirements in the Faculty of Arts (later the Faculty of Arts & Science) at the University of Toronto were comprehensively reviewed and revised seven times. The records of these reviews demonstrate that the curricular changes of the second half of the twentieth century were substantial, reflecting attempts by curricular planners to shape the undergraduate program of study to accommodate broader social, economic, demographic, and epistemological changes. These changes therefore reflect the connections between the University and its local, provincial, and international communities. These substantial changes, however, are balanced by consistent and recurrent patterns in curriculum across this period as curricular planners sought ways to implement sustained curricular goals into a changed institutional environment and a changed curricular framework. Collectively, these reviews demonstrate that the U of T maintained a distinct approach to undergraduate education from the beginning of this period through the end. This approach, referred to here as the “Toronto Scheme,” is characterized by the belief that specialized study can lead to liberal education, and that students should have access to multiple pathways through the degree. This analysis of degree requirements over time has important implications for understanding higher education at the University of Toronto, in Canada, and internationally. Most importantly, this research helps to explain both the strong similarities and significant differences between American curricular structures and those in place at the U of T. Additionally, this study of curriculum provides valuable insight into the role of the U of T’s colleges in undergraduate instruction, further illuminating the effect of this relatively unique institutional structure on the history of the U of T. On a broader scale, the relationship indicated by this history of the curriculum between the U of T and other institutions in Ontario and Canada deepens our understanding of the nature of a Canadian system of or approach to higher education (or lack thereof). As such, the Toronto Scheme informs – and sometimes challenges – many of the assumptions currently made about Ontario, Canadian, and North American higher education.

This study examines multigrade teaching in selected schools in Canada and its implications for improving multigrade teaching in South Africa, where over 50 % of primary schools are multigrade and the teachers have not received preparation in multigrade teaching. The case study method was adopted because it allowed for 'an intensive, holistic description and analysis' of the multigrade classroom. The approach is interpretivist, based on the assumption that social phenomena are 'socially constituted' and 'valuationally based'. Research techniques included a literature review, interviews and observations. Four classrooms with grade combinations ranging from two grades to eight grades (Kindergarten to grade 7) were studied. Despite problems such as the lack of official recognition, inadequate teacher education and support - problems common to both Canada and South Africa - the Canadian teachers managed their classrooms effectively. This was indicated by their understanding of the children's needs, their integration of the curriculum for teaching across the grades and the learning areas, their use of effective instructional strategies and their involyement of parents in the classroom. A reason for their success may be that their teacher education includes child-centred, activity based approaches, integration of the curriculum, critical thinking, flexibility and effective instructional strategies, which they may adapt for effective multigrade teaching. The study found that successful multigrade teaching depended on the teacher. For South Africa, this may imply that intervention programmes should focus on relevant preparation and support for multigrade teachers. The emphasis on material resources in the implementation of Curriculum 2005 has not been balanced with adequate training on policy, curriculum and instructional strategies. Teacher education should include methodologies that are experiential, reflective and participatory. A variety of instructional strategies should be employed in the multigrade classroom. The respondents in the study believed further that multigrade teaching is more beneficial than single-grade teaching because it caters for the diversity of needs amongst children and allows for peer tutoring, thereby exploiting Vygotsky's theory of the 'zone of proximal development'. Thus, instead of viewing multigrade teaching as a temporary phenomenon, it should be viewed as an opportunity for improving school effectiveness.